


Letters for Nobody

by Ashino



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Coping, F/F, F/M, Feelings, Longing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2018-11-29 18:35:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11446665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashino/pseuds/Ashino
Summary: A series of letters written by Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis (as well as many other familiar faces!), addressed to Noctis as a means to cope with the loss of their dear friend.Stories of daily activities as they reconcile their feelings and try to move past the events of Chapter 14.





	1. Letters to You

Hey Noct!

It’s me! Prompto! How’s it going, buddy?!

Well, I guess I know how it’s going. Not well. You died. 

I’m not sure why I keep trying to convince myself that I’ll randomly trip over you someday… The end of the battle being so much, you just decided to lie down and take a nap. A really long one. And you’ll be all grumpy that I woke you up, hungry, too, and Ignis will make us something awesome to eat. Gladio will have probably found some new spice or whatever for Ignis to try out, and we’d sit around together, eating, laughing, doing dumb-ass awesome things. 

But again, what am I doing? You’re dead. You’re dead, Noct. 

I know it’s stupid, but I can’t stop looking for you in every corner of everywhere we go. And I wake up every morning thinking about the shit we’ll get into today, and then it all hits me again.

It sucks. I mean, you’re my best friend. You changed my life, dude. 

Fuck. You were my best friend. Or can I still consider you my best friend? How does all this death stuff work? I’m not sure I really want to know the answer. Maybe I’d finally give up looking for you and move on with my life… but I’m not sure I want to do that either. 

Gladio and Ignis are great, and we kind of decided to stick together for a bit. They take good care of me, but I think everyone is feeling a bit lost right now, even if they don’t talk about it.   
What am I supposed to do, Noct? You’re the one I’d usually go to for stuff like this. 

So I guess that’s why I’m writing you a letter. Like an idiot. I’m not sure if this is hurting or helping me. 

Just for laughs, I’ll give this a proper ending. 

Write back soon, okay Noct?? None of that lazy shit you usually pull. 

Sincerely, (Is this right?)  
Prompto

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Noct,

So apparently Prompto wrote you a letter, lost it, and has been freaking out for two days now. He’s stuck somewhere between “AN ASTRAL MAILMAN TOOK IT” and “IF EITHER OF YOU FIND IT AND READ IT, I’LL KILL YOU.” Either way, he’s been badgering the hell out of me to write one too, “just in case.”

If it makes him shut-up, sure. He’s watching me write this now. He just punched me. Okay, he left. 

Ignis didn’t really mind this letter-thing. He said something about getting feelings out, but I usually prefer to run or smash stuff. Words aren’t exactly my strength. Ha. Get it?

Anyway, you’re dead and things are weird. To be honest, we’ve just been wandering around helping out where and when we can. It’s all a mess. 10 years of darkness and demons kinds of fucks you up. A shit-ton of people died, people are angry, people want control. There’s fighting. Way to leave us with a massive pile of shit to clean up. Hope you’re resting in peace, Princess. 

And just because you’re dead, it doesn’t mean you can slack off. Fucking get up and do some shit wherever the hell you are.   
\--Gladio

 

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Dear Noct, 

It seems Gladio’s letter disappeared too, and at Prompto’s very persistent request and something about an astral postman, I too am writing you a letter. 

Before you smart-off, yes, I am able to write. How dare you doubt me. It took a bit of time, but with some coaching from Gladio (who was quickly replaced by Prompto because Gladio’s hand-writing is gods-awful), I’ve mastered the movements and memorized the sounds necessary to successfully write. 

We are currently traveling around Lucis lending hands where they are needed. Refugees from Altissa and Tenebrae are flooding in to the country. Apparently something absolutely atrocious happened out there during the end of the dark decade, but we haven’t gathered enough information to determine what. I am not exactly surprised; with the thick population of demons and goodness-knows-what-else in Niflheim, one might assume that areas nearby were more grossly affected by the darkness than here. 

Upon hearing the news, the three of us looked at each other and shrugged. Time for another adventure, perhaps?. I hate to admit this to you of all people, but we’ve become a bit more reckless since your departure. It is not that we do not value our lives and the light your sacrifice gifted us… It is more that coping is a complicated matter and perhaps the three of us will have a higher chance to succeed in this endeavor if we fight our way through it. 

I will stop writing embarrassing things now, as I suspect Gladio is taking the letters to reinstall some hope in Prompto. Not an exercise of poor intention – Prompto has been radiating like the sun, almost like he used to do – but I fear what pain it might bring him in the end, once he learns of the ruse. Writing can possess strong healing powers for the mind, so for now, I can only put a bit of hope in the process. 

It’s a shame you’re not here. This world could really use a king. 

Sincerely,  
Ignis

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NOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCCCCCCCCCTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

 

OH MY GOSHHHH. THREE LETTERS HAVE DISAPPEARED. DID YOU GET THEM?! WHY HAVEN’T YOU WRITTEN BACK?!  
Wait, maybe you can’t. Do you still have a body when you die and your soul goes off to wherever? OMG maybe you don’t have hands. Or EVEN EYES. WHAT IF YOU’RE GETTING THE LETTERS AND YOU CAN’T EVEN READ THEM?!

I had to stop writing for a few minutes. Gladio took my pencil when he saw me flipping out and Ignis talked to me about souls and stuff. He said not to worry about the details because if I really REALLY felt it, my feelings could reach you. Even if you don’t have eyes. Once I settled down, I got my pencil back. 

Man, I don’t know. Ignis and Gladio were whispering about something earlier. I couldn’t hear any details, but I’m not sure they’re really buying this astral mailman thing. I mean, I guess somewhere in my heart, I don’t quite believe it either… I mean, c’mon, Prompto. You’re being silly. 

I just get stuck on the “what if.”

Dude, I really miss you. 

We ran into Aranea the other day. She’s doing pretty awesome. Let’s be real though: when is she not? She’s still in search-and-recovery, and right now, she’s trying to target some of those messed up areas we heard about in Lestallum. I guess there was some really crazy stuff going on out there?? I mean, we went out there a few times, but it was always a bit rough. Now that the sun is back, we can go check it out. We’re going to leave in about a week and meet Aranea somewhere along the way. I wasn’t really paying attention. 

How’s it going wherever you are? Do you think if you feel it enough, something you’re thinking will reach me? Feel free to try that anytime, dude. I could really use a pick-me-up. 

Talk to you later.   
Prompto

 

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Hey Noct.

So I thought Iggy was taking the letters, but he approached me a few days ago to ask if I was? So neither of us are taking them. Ignis wondered if Prompto took them himself, to kinda boost morale or something. Whatever. He just keeps bugging us to write, and well, now I’m kinda curious. Just a little bit. 

We’re staying in Altissa right now. Met Aranea to check some stuff out. I fucking hate this place. You probably do, too. We’ve been wandering around, knocking on doors, trying to get any bits of information and see if anyone is alive. In 3 days, we found 6 people, and they had no idea if there was anyone else. Aranea sent them back to Lucis on one of her ships. We’re going to try to stay a week here and see if anyone else is alive. 90% of the buildings are rubble. A lot of it probably happened during Leviathan, but based on the blood and body-bits we’ve come across, they had it pretty bad here.

I mean, nobody had anywhere to really run. It’s surrounded by water. Hoping to find somebody in the nearby cliffs. 

I doubt you’re actually getting these letters, but Prompto writes to you every night, and every morning, the letter is gone. I dunno. I’m a low-tech kind of guy. I don’t get this stuff. 

Anyway, Ignis is interested, so here I am. If it helps him out, I’ll write. 

Hang loose, buddy. Wish you were here.   
Gladio

 

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Dear Noct,   
These letters have certainly turned into something quite interesting. Prompto has declared his innocence after much “questioning” on the parts of Gladio and I.   
I also doubt his stealth abilities, for whoever is taking the letters has does well to avoid me. I am devising a plan to catch this culprit and end this exercise. It is a bit... too much. Perhaps we could benefit from a journal-based activity and attempt to free ourselves from these disappearing letters, believing in the possibility of seeing you again in this life. 

Our mission and Altissa is still going poorly. It appears I still have a bit of peace to make with this place. Things may be better if you were here. 

I apologize for the brevity of this letter. Do take care, Noct.

Sincerely,   
Ignis

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Hey Noct!!

We’re back at Hammerhead! Wow, right?! I ran out of paper along the way, and Ignis wouldn’t let me use any of his fancy napkins.   
Duuuuuuuuuude, that was a bad trip. I mean I wish you would have been there, here, anywhere… but it was not fun. We went there a few times while you were gone the first time, but whoaaaaaaaa. It was so… yeah I’m not going to write it. 

So back to Hammerhead for us. Aranea had a thing to do??? She was so mysterious about it, and my curiosity is killing me. I never did find out if she had a boyfriend. Not that I’m interested. Gladio still calls me a loverboy when I bring up a girl and haha okay, but Aranea is scary. Like reallllll scary, bro. I couldn't handle it. Even scarier than before. You didn’t get to see her before we headed off to Insomnia, but let me tell you…

Ah shit. Shit. Shiiit. The top of the paper is wet now. I think it’s just the bad week we had. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. You're still with me, right? Like all that “memories” and “always in your heart” stuff? Like “people never really leave you,” yeah? 

Eh. Sorry, that’s weird. And this is a pen. 

And it’s not like you’ll actually read this anyway. 

Later.   
Prompto

 

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Noct,

I haven’t seen Prompto write to you in two weeks. How the hell are you still pissing people off from the grave? Now I’m mad at you, too. 

He told us to stop writing. It was so pathetic, Ignis and I jumped up for paper, trying to reassure him. Ignis started writing something on one of his napkins. Those napkins. Yeah. That’s how bad it was.   
He’s better now. I think. Actually, I have no idea. But, the guy worked his ass off all the years you were gone. He’s tough. 

Ignis had a thing yesterday. Like a moment kind of thing. Fuck, you know what I mean. For all the shit he’s gone through, you would think he’d show a few cracks here and there. Of course he’s stubborn as fuck and doesn’t. But he let down just a few minutes yesterday to talk about you. I think it helped. At least for Prompto. 

We’re a bunch of idiots. Really fucking dumb. You’d think we could get by this. There’s just something about dedicating your whole life to someone I guess. Fucks you up when they’re dead. What use is a shield to you now? We kept you alive to die. Just kind of sucks, you know?

Ha. I’m sure you know best out of all of us.   
Gladio

 

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Dear Noctis, 

It’s been officially six months today since you left us. 

The overall rehabilitation process for our world has been so slow and much further complicated by mankind’s impossible nature to fight each other. Ten years did a lot to people, and we are unfortunately seeing the effects of it now. 

Prompto has finally perked up. He unpacked his camera for the first time in a long time and took some photographs this afternoon. The light you gave us just does not make sense without Prompto adding his own into the mix. It simply is not right for one to shine without the other.

Gladio keeps looking at me with furrowed brows. He is worried about something. It’s amazing what a person can notice about their surroundings when they are not relying on their eyes. Some of the things are particularly disgusting, but you get used to them. Others are surprisingly pleasant. And then there is Prompto, who has made a habit over the last ten years of having me feel his bicep. 

“Iggy, I’m getting stronger! Feel it!” as if I could not notice the change in his movements and an increasing amount of finesse I never thought he could possess. I humor him for a moment, before Gladio comes and squishes his poor arm in his hand. It certainly motivates Prompto, but if he ever takes on a shape like Gladio’s, I may for once be happy to be blind. The mere thought of an incredibly buff Prompto is terrifying. 

As for the“astral mailman,” the hopeful side of me has a theory that he is not as far off as we had previously assumed. I have an experiment I would like to conduct. 

Best,   
Ignis

 

To be continued in chapter 2!


	2. Letters for Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The letters continue. The boys carry on.  
> Regalia Type D  
> Iris :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who read the first chapter and left some kudos/comments! I really appreciate it.  
> I am not the best writer, but I'm trying to develop my skills. I love writing, and I'd love to work on my relationship with words.  
> I had an idea and I really wanted to get it out, even if the writing is sub-par. 
> 
> Again, thank you for lending your eyes to my work.

NOCT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taking a break from demons has been awesome! Takka has us running around again trying to find him some weird stuff for his menu. Ignis loves it, Gladio kind of just likes anything we do, and actually, I’m enjoying it a bit, too. It’s nice not having to fight anything or anyone for a change. Gladio makes us camp A LOT. And it’s fine most of the time. I mean, Ignis gets his chance to cook, and the stars are pretty incredible on clear nights. Rain sucks, as it always has. Sometimes, though, I need a bed, even if I have to deal with you next to me flopping around all night.

ANNNNNDDDDD!!! IGNIS SAID HE HAD IDEA ABOUT THE ASTRAL MAILMAN. IF ANYONE CAN FIGURE IT OUT, IGNIS CAN. HE’S THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE.  
AT THIS POINT, I JUST WANT TO KNOW. It’s been driving me crazy. If it isn’t some supernatural thing, it means someone has been following us around (WHICH IS REALLY CREEPY) or Ignis and Gladio have been doing it all along. I definitely prefer the second option here. 

We got a lot of requests from the people over by Old Lestallum as we clomped through there looking for something for Takka. After we finish out our jobs in Hammerhead, I think we’ll head up there for a bit, keep taking it easy and helping out where we can. 

You take it easy, too, okay?? Miss you.  
Prompto

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OMG. NOCT. CINDY PUT MONSTER TRUCK TIRES ON THE REGALIA. IGNIS ABOUT SHIT HIMSELF, BUT GLADIO AND I THOUGHT IT WAS HILARIOUS. YOU WOULD LOVE IT.  
IGNIS WON’T GET IN THE CAR WITH US YET, BUT IT’S INCREDIBLE. 

HERE’S A PICTURE. HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING US FROM SOMEWHERE AND CRACKING UP. 

LATER, BRO.  
PROMPTO

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Noct,

Prompto said he wrote to you about the Regalia. THAT SHIT IS SWEET. 

You can drive it off the highest fucking cliff and it takes the landing like a champ. We got Ignis to finally take a ride with us. We promised him we weren’t going to do anything dumb, just a nice and calm ride. We lied. Big time. He’ll probably tell you about it in his next letter.

Iris has been around a lot lately, and it’s been nice to have her around. I know Talcott told you about what she’d been doing the ten years you were gone, but you should see her. In action, she’s a beast. Still small and cute, but don’t piss her off. You’d be proud of her. She’s quite the woman now. 

There’s something she always wanted to tell you. Maybe I’ll have her write a letter sometime. I think she’ll be traveling with us for a bit. 

Anyway, look for an angry letter from Ignis. It’ll be hilarious. 

Get some shit done.  
Gladio

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Dear Noct, 

I have been betrayed. There is photographic evidence of it for which I have tried to kill Prompto over numerous times. I am sure he will be sending it along with his next letter. 

That is all. 

Sincerely,  
Ignis

PS: I have created a new recipe for some root vegetables even you would like. I have included the directions for your reference. 

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Dear Noct,

I seem to have some guilt from the brevity of my last letter. As Gladio so eloquently put it, I was “moping.” There may be a slice of truth to that, but no one can deny the danger of the situation.  
I have since tried to ride with them a few more times. It is not exactly my cup of tea, but the feeling of the wind around us, the crunching of things below us. Prompto has created a new game for the car rides, and yes, I have to guess what things we are running over. They take great care to run over strange things, too, and aim for unfamiliar terrains to throw me off. 

You would enjoy driving the car. I am sure the other two were too excited to tell you about our “Regalia.” Cindy had a car waiting for us when we returned from Insomnia. It was supposed to be a congratulatory and welcome-home gift for you. It is not your father’s car, but she tried very hard to replicate it. It is beautiful. I will have Prompto send along a photo of it next time he writes to you. 

Take care. 

Sincerely,  
Ignis

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Hi Noct!

It’s Iris! I heard from the guys that they were writing “disappearing letters” to you, and brother insisted I join. I don’t mind, though. I think it’s a pretty fun idea. 

I am still really sad I didn’t get to see you before you four trucked off to save the world. The last time I saw you, you were on the boat to Altissa. I would have loved to have seen you one more time. I know you had things to do, but a very selfish side of me wanted to be with you again, even for just a moment. 

Talcott said that he filled you in on what I was doing while you were gone. Did you believe him when you told you? ^_^ Haha. To be completely honest, though, had I not gotten so involved and started doing something so drastically different than anything else I’d done in my life, I’m not sure I would have made it through those years. Waiting. Every day. For 10 years. I’m not sure how the guys did it. It was horrible, me just pining away like that. I can’t imagine how they coped. 

I’ll write again. I wanted to talk to you about something, else, too, but all these memories and feelings are hitting me right now. 

I miss you. 

Love,  
Iris

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Noct,

Iris wrote you a letter and looked really beat up after it. First, you upset Prompto, and now Iris. Prompto, I can forgive you for. Iris, I can’t. Let’s spar. 

You were never really great at that stuff. People’s feelings and shit. Poor Luna. How did she ever put up with you? And honestly, dude, you’d be the worst husband. The very worst. That ever was. You should have just married Prompto. You actually kind of understood him, and he seemed to understand you. And despite knowing you, he continued to be your friend. What an idiot. 

Do you see Luna? Wherever the fuck you are? I was hoping you might be able to see each other again. Do you see anyone at all? Prompto is convinced that wherever you are, you don’t have eyes, or any other senses for that matter, and that’s why you haven’t returned our letters. 

I’m gonna hit the sack. We had a long, but decent day.  
Gladio

 

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Hey Noct!

So Iris has been traveling with us for a week or two now, and holy crapppppppppp. How can someone be so cute and sweet but then a BEAST in a fight??????????? Like, I’m scared. Women can be really scary, Noct. It’s so cool. 

You can totally tell that she is an Amicita. She’s too small to just crush things and whip around giant swords like Gladio, but holyyyyyyy shittt!!!!!!! She is so fast. Like, here I go to shoot and BAM this demon and it’s dead. I don’t even blink. It’s just done. She used these two short sword or dagger things and they look so badass even in their holders on her back. And then there’s like, these ninja things???? Like needles and throwing stars????????? IRIS IS A NINJA NOW, NOCT. 

It’s been a blast though. I think Gladio has been pushing himself more than usual, trying to out-do her. They have contests every battle. Ignis and I have a new habit of just hanging back and watching. I mean even if we tried to join, they’d probably end up killing us on accident. 

So I’ve been hanging with Ignis a bit more, while Gladio and Iris argue and kill shit. He’s such a cool dude. And so fucking handsome???? HOW ARE HIM AND GLADIO SO DAMN ATTRACTIVE? DON’T TELL ANYONE I SAID THIS OKAY. We go out to eat sometimes and the ladies just flock around them. So unfair. One time, they both got a free meal, AND I STILL HAD TO FRICKING PAY. AND ALL THAT HAPPENED WAS THAT A WAITRESS TOLD ME TO SHAVE MY "HORRIBLE" GOATEE. I hate myself, but I totally shaved it off when we turned in for the night. It hasn't paid off yet, but I can't say I even notice that it's gone.

Anyway, Ignis has been helping me with some training. I had to beg him for days and do all kinds of nice things for him, but he finally agreed. I wanted to see how I’d do blind. AND he actually thought it was a good idea, after heavily criticizing me for being overly reliant on my eyes. It’s SO hard. Omg. And then he just hits me all over the place. I have so many bruises. I’m not really sure I’m getting anywhere, but I don’t know. I just want to be better. Just in case… you know… you need me by your side again. 

Wow, that was a long letter! I’m throwing in some photos for you, too.

Take care, buddy. I miss you.  
Prompto

 

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Dear Noct, 

It has been a few days since any of us have been able to write you. We had quite the mis-adventure in the Crestholm Channels. Cindy had something she wanted to find for her, and it sounded simple enough. It was not. We got absurdly lost and spent four days down there. Four days. It was a descent into utter hell. We were investigating reports of rumblings and pipe malfunctions in the area, assuming it was some sort of large hellspawn wreaking its own joyous havoc deep in the channels. It was. 

It was very helpful to have Iris there with us. It was a bit of a challenge for us, and a much needed wake-up call: we need to keep and step up our training. We had not been pushed in quite a while. Despite being trapped down there for four days, I think it was something we needed. 

Prompto has been proactive about his training. He approached me before we headed to the channels. I was surprised, but oddly proud of him for taking the matter into his own hands. I have felt oddly connected with him lately. Perhaps I have a need to watch over someone, having been in that role for so long. Furthermore, he is still taking your loss very hard. Gladio and I try our best, but as we have all learned, you are impossible to replace. 

I have turned into a bit of a sentimental fool, have I not? Gladio insists it is good for me and attempts to draw it out of me much more often that I would like. I never thought I would reach this place, but I am very comfortable around him. As difficult as it is to open up, I find it oddly comforting to show a bit of my heart to him. 

I am unable to believe that I just wrote that. Well, shit. A level of sentiment I never believed I was capable of achieving. See what happens when you leave? Iris turns into a demon-ninja, Prompto wants to train, Gladio is interested in deep feelings, and I am an emotional mess. 

Do return to us. 

Sincerely,  
Ignis

 

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Noct!!!!!!

I think I just slept for three days. Four days without a bed or any decent food and we were all soooooo dead. We crashed at a campsite on the way back to Hammerhead, passed out immediately, and didn’t move for like 20 hours. We monster-Regalia’d it back to Hammerhead and we’ve been zombies in the camper for the last two days. Oops. ^^;;;

On a lighter note, we’re going to start some cool training regimens! Ignis has the ideas and I think we’ll get started in another day or two. The rest is awesome. It’s like a restart. We were kind of getting a bit reckless and frazzled there for a bit. 

I’ve been helping Cindy around the garage!!! Not that I can really do a lot. ^^;;; But I can clean stuff and hand her things when she needs them, chat up customers, run the shop. It’s been so… normal. I’m not sure how I feel about it. 

Anyway, I’m still really beat. Off for a nap. Be in touch soon. 

Miss you, buddy.  
Prompto


	3. Letters from Caem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys settle in at Caem for a bit for some much needed rest.  
> Birthdays, cats, Tony the restaurant dude, very very very very very early signs of a possible Gladnis?  
> Hmmmm. 
> 
> Letters from Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, Iris, Talcott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I hope I am improving, even just a tiny bit.

Hey Noct!!!

We decided to put some of our requests and hunts on hold to go celebrate Talcott’s birthday in Caem!! They all moved back out there a few months ago and have been trying to clean up the place. It’s looking pretty good, but they’re short a few hands. We’re going to stay a bit and help out! 

We totally surprised him. Just showed up out of the blue and man, he was so happy!! Ignis cooked all kinds of awesome things and there was a big cake!! We played darts and Talcott showed us his cactuar statue collection. HE HAS SO MANY NOW. He’s still collecting after all these years. He has the four you got him on the dashboard of his truck. You probably saw them when he picked you up at Galdin. We thought it might be fun to get him another one for his birthday present, but we weren’t able to find any in the shops. So we all did something stupid and tried to be artistic.  
Noct. It went so badly. Hahahahaha. I thought it would be cool to track down some cactuar, take some cool photos, print them out. Well, we found some. And SO MANY OF THEM. LIKE THEY FORMED A COLONY OR SOMETHING. AND THERE WERE BIG ONES. HUGE ONES. I swear we were pulling needles out of our asses for hours, maybe days. And those needles… they get everywhere. Places you can’t reach and someone has to help you. We agreed to never speak of it again. 

In the end, I got some really cool photos though, and Talcott was totally stoked!! So it was worth it! Minus the parts that we’re all pretending never happened.  
Talcott brought you up, saying he wish you could be there, too. It got quiet and sad and awkward for a bit, but Gladio ripped into some funny story about you, and soon everyone was laughing and sharing their favorite memories. It was good for us. It was good for me. I keep getting caught up in the fact that you’re not here and all the time we don’t have together, and this helped me focus on all the time we DID have together. 

I’m not sure I’ll ever stop missing you, but maybe I took a step in the right direction last night. I don’t know, man. 

Anyway, I miss you. We miss you. 

Talk to you soon.  
Prompto

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Noctis-sama, 

Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, and Iris came to visit for my birthday and told me about the letters they’ve been writing you. I really wanted to participate, too. 

My birthday was really nice with the extra company. Ignis cooked and as always, the food was incredible. They also gave me some incredible pictures of cactuar they encountered.  
At one point during the evening, we started talking about you. People shared their stories about you (all good ones, don’t worry), and the conversation was fairly light-hearted. For me, though, I just can’t get over your death, especially since I was the one to pick you up to take you to it. 

Sometimes I think I’ll never forgive myself. I drove you to your death. It weighs so heavily on me, haunting my dreams so often I’ve lost count. I know you needed to do what you did. Logically, I helped. You needed to save the world and you needed a ride to meet up with Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis. You needed safe transport and I was able to provide it. Even though I know this, I can’t help but despair from time to time. It’s so incredible selfish, and I’m aware of that, too. We couldn’t keep you with us. That was decided when you were just a child, and there was no avoiding it. Somewhere, however, I think we all hoped we could stay together forever. Some small dark part of us still wishes we could have you instead of the sun. 

I should probably stop embarrassing myself with all of this selfish talk. It retracts from your sacrifice, and that is the last thing I would ever want to do. It seems I still have a lot of growing up still ahead of me. 

Wherever you are, I hope you’re happy. I hope you can see Luna, your father, and my grandfather. Please tell them I said hello. 

Sincerely,  
Talcott

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Noct,

We’ve been in Caem for about a week now, helping out with construction, repairs, and whatever else needs to be done around here. We’ve made a ton of progress on the house. Hopefully, it’ll be finished by the end of the week. 

The dock is a disaster, but it’s kind of been shoved to the bottom of our list. We keep saying it’s not important, which isn’t that far from the truth, but I think we’re just remembering how we left for Altissa and how much shit went down there. It’s been such a long time, but it’s all still clear as day. Luna… fucking Iggy’s injury… that mother-fucker Arden.  
Sorry. I’ll drop it. 

Getting the garden ready for growing stuff. Iris and Talcott have been working pretty hard on that. I hear they might be able to start planting stuff soon. Remember that dude that came and bought our veges off of us? He showed up the other day asking for more once we get some. I guess he kept his restaurant open in one of the havens during the dark decade. He showed major interest in Iggy. They talked a lot about cooking, ingredients, and recipes, at first, but lately the dude has been showing up to bring Iggy spices and crap. And he invited him to his restaurant. Iris is convinced he has a crush on Iggy. She says all the signs are there. I don’t know why but it kind of pisses me off. I mean Iggy is a nice-looking and good guy, but back off, buddy. You don’t know him. 

Otherwise, hanging out at Caem has been nice. We get to help out and we’ve all taken some time to really train. It feels damn good to be living something kinda normal right now. 

Write ya again soon.  
Gladio

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Dear Noct, 

Our time in Caem has passed rather quickly. We have been here nearly a month. The repairs on the house are finished. The seeds are planted in the field. Some locals bring a cart from time to time to the parking lot at the bottom of the hill and sell some of their wares. A bit of a regular farmer’s market has developed twice a week. It feels nice to have people bustling about, seeing them regain a bit of normalcy in their lives. It does not hurt that the venders often bring ingredients I need for my recipes. 

The man who bought vegetables from us returned and has frequently made time to converse with me about cooking. Gladio does not seem to like him one bit. He has made a habit of showing up to the field shirtless, a very large and sharp farming tool in hand, and glares frequently at our acquaintance. Iris told me he was jealous, but Gladio can speak to me about cooking any time he would like to do so. Perhaps he wants to learn but is embarrassed to ask for the help. When I mentioned that to Iris, she smacked her forehead and walked away. I must have misunderstood her. That is strange, as we often understand each other better than we do anyone else. 

I am not sure we have mentioned our astral postman in a while. If I had to guess, I would say that we do not really want to find out the truth. I believe I know who is taking them, but for now, I would prefer not to ruin the counsel these letters have offered to our friends. It has become a much-welcomed therapy for the grief we all bare from, well, everything. 

I will write again soon.  
Take care.  
Ignis

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Noct!!!

Do you remember that cat from Galdin, and then, how it somehow made its way up to Caem?! WELL THERE’S A CAT HERE NOW AND IT’S THE SAME COLOR. It can’t be the same as the first one, I think it would be too old? How long to cats live, anyway? I have no idea. It’s probably a different cat. BUT STILL, IT’S A CAT. We followed it to the crawl-space under the house AND THERE WERE KITTENS. FOUR KITTENS. THAT’S FIVE CATS, NOCT. THE KITTENS ARE SO CUTE. THEIR WHOLE LITTLE FAMILY IS SO CUTE. 

Monica said it was okay to keep them around and look after them! Talcott and Iris were stoked. I can’t even lie. I was just as stoked. Gladio and Ignis seemed to like them, too! We all went outside and sat around near the opening of the crawl space and they all came out!! Seeing Gladio next to a tiny little cat is really funny. Iggy called it “adorable.” A little black one wandered over to Gladio and nudged him. He crawled up on his leg and went to sleep. I took so many pictures my camera battery died. Monica found a nice box and some blankets for them. We’ve spent the last few days making a kitty haven and making sure there aren’t any holes that are big enough for something bad to crawl through and get them. 

So Monica sent us off to find some fish so she could make some food for the kitties. Dude, we suck ROYALLY at fishing. We couldn’t catch ANYTHING. It was so frustrating. Gladio threw his rod down and just jumped in. He looked like a bear thrashing in the water, but he caught nothing. Iggy even got irritated, which we don’t see a whole lot from him. I fidgeted too much and couldn’t sit still long enough. There was a campsite nearby, so we set up there for the night and will try again tomorrow. We probably should have paid more attention whenever you fished, or asked you to teach us, or something. 

Send us some fishing vibes from the great beyond. We need them.

Miss ya, bro.  
Prompto

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Hi Noct!

It’s Iris again. It’s been a few weeks since I first wrote you, so I figured my second letter was well-overdue. 

As they’ve probably told you, the guys have been here for over a month now, and it has been so nice to be able to spend so much time together. The family is back together again. Well, almost.  
Sometimes I wonder why it had to be us. Why it had to be you. But then I realize, that if it hadn’t been us, living the lives we lived, we never would have come together like this. I wouldn’t have known you if you weren’t a Caelum or I hadn’t been born into the Amicita family. Things had to turn out this way, and even though we had a limited amount of time together, I’m so grateful for every minute of it. 

Noct, I never wanted to say anything because it would have only put another burden on you. You were promised to Luna at such a young age. The chance was never there, but it didn’t change my feelings. I liked you. Like like liked you. Looking back even now, I might be able to say I loved you. I remembered wandering around Lestallum with you, finally having the chance to you have you all to myself. I was so happy. Of course, I valued our friendship, but it was nice to pretend for a moment or two that we were on a date. Did you ever use that moogle plushie I gave you? I was so embarrassed after-the-fact. I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh. I just gave the prince a moogle.” If you liked it even a little bit, I guess it was worth it then. 

Anyway, I really just wanted to tell you that. It’s a relief to write it down and get it off my chest. It’s been sitting pretty heavily there for a long time. 

I miss you and I hope you’re doing well.  
Love,  
Iris

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Noct, 

We’re still at Caem for a bit. With seven people around that house, it doesn’t even feel cramped. Just feels like family. They’ve got three beds in the second bedroom and we have our tent outside, fire most nights, Iggy’s cooking. We’re still planning on taking trips and helping people out, but for now at least, it feels like we’ll have a home waiting for us to come back to.  
Prompto said he mentioned we sucked at fishing. And we did. Big time. We finally caught one fucking fish after two full days of trying. We could even see them in the fucking water. Swimming around. Taunting us. Fucking fish. Iris went out with Talcott and they came back with a fucking bucket of fish. We must REALLY suck. 

It’s been two weeks since we found the kittens and Prompto is still on cloud nine. I think he has about a million pictures of them so far. I mean, I can’t say they’re not cute. I really can’t. There’s a black one that really likes me and follows me around. I can’t hate it. It’s so little. Prompto said I should name it, but I don’t know what to fucking name a cat. I’ll ask Iris. 

Today, the restaurant dude invited Iggy to dinner. Tony is his name. He wants to cook a special dinner just for Iggy. Iris is screaming because it’s a date, as she puts it. She told me I should stop it, and she won’t tell me why. I think she knows something about the dude that we don’t. If that bastard did anything to her and she can’t talk about it, I’m going to fucking kill him.

Hopefully next time I write you, I haven’t killed a man.  
Later.  
Gladio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming next: wrapping up Caem (and Tony) and headed out for some work.


	4. Letters for Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping up their stay at Caem, the boys are confused about their feelings.   
> Tony saga reaches an awkward conclusion.   
> Prompto is sorting out his feelings.   
> Ignis and Gladio just can't seem to have a proper conversation.

Noct!

Hey buddy! How’s it going? Do you miss me? 

I miss you, but I write that in every letter so… yeah. 

It still sucks. It’s been like 9 months since, well, you know and I… I just want to see you. And laugh with you. And fight stuff and almost die with you. And then eat a lot of food!!! And snuggle down in a hotel bed, if we’re lucky, or just sit under the stars, or in the tent on a rainy night. 15 years of friendship, bro. Do you count those 10 years? I do. I count them. I hope you do, too. Can I still keep counting? I think I will, even if you’re not supposed to. 

Isn’t this supposed to get easier? Iggy and Gladio seem to be getting through it. Why can’t I? I wish I could have gone with you. I don’t even care what would have happened. Ughh why did you leave me on those stairs?! Why does it still hurt so badly…?

I don’t know what to do.   
Prompto

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Dear Noctis,

Whatever Prompto wrote to you in his last letter has completely changed his mood. I thought he had been making some peace, at least, with the situation, but now I am not so sure. It could easily be the week – it has been one certainly – but I cannot help but feel a bit worried. 

I will take care of him the best I can. Do not worry. Gladio I am sure will help, too. 

Speaking of Gladio, he did something that was a bit unbecoming last night. Tony, the man from the restaurant who enjoys our produce, was at the receiving end of a very startling punch from the hand of your ever-hotheaded shield. To my own fault, I had failed to notice that Tony had taken an interest in me beyond our shared interest in cooking. In hindsight, I may have been a bit of a dense buffoon, and according to Iris, I was unable to see the “sparkles” in his eyes when he looked at me. I only noticed how often he touched my arms and my back, which I attributed to him concerned with my lack of sight and wishing me to know where he was. At the end of the day, perhaps I am even as dense as you and Prompto when it comes to matters of attraction. I am disgusted that I am admitting to it. Watching the two of you bumble around together for years, shaking my head and wondering when, and yet, here I am. 

To summarize, at the end of the evening, Tony’s face ended up too close to mine, and before I had really understood the situation, Tony yelled something about a bear, there was indeed a mighty roar, and well, you could guess the rest. Tony ran for his life and we did not see him today. A farmer at the market said he had been around, however, boasting about his encounter and how he had “fended off the beast.” I am assuming he is not coming around our field because he cowardly fled the scene, leaving a blind man behind to, theoretically, be eaten by a bear.

Gladio drug me away from the scene, quite forcibly at that. He was angry and yelling about things.   
And now he is looking at me. I think he knows I am writing about him. Perhaps I should save the rest of the story for another letter. 

It is a bit awkward right now. Iris brought Prompto into the house so he could sleep in a bed for a few nights. He has not been getting much sleep lately. Therefore, it is just Gladio and I in the tent tonight. 

Wish me a bit of luck. 

Take care.   
Ignis

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Dear Noct, 

It’s Iris again! I worked up some more nerve to write you another letter! I’m sorry if things got weird for you in the last letter. Maybe you just took it as a compliment? ^^;;;

Things are so weird right now around Caem. Prompto is really down. Ignis and Gladio aren’t really talking much and when they do, it’s so awkward. Both of them are so confused with what happened with the Tony incident. Noct. My brother was jealous because another man showed interest in Ignis. The matchmaker in me is screaming, but logically, Gladio really just saved Ignis from what would probably would have been a really uncomfortable experience, considering Ignis had no freaking clue what was going on. How can someone so smart be so dumb?? On the other hand, how Gladio figured it out and happened to be nearby is interesting…. Hmmmm. 

I mean, that’s a normal thing for a friend to do, right? IF THAT IS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. MY BROTHER WAS HIDING AND SPRUNG OUT RIGHT BEFORE THE KISS.   
He couldn’t be more obvious, but then the idiot doesn’t know himself what’s going on. Both of them are so stupid. Almost as stupid as you and Prompto. Sorry, but nobody is as dumb as you two. 

Do you think it’s possible for two people who have been through so many beautiful and devastating things together, spent so much time together that they understand each other better than anyone else ever could, and care so deeply for each other’s well-being… Do you think it’s possible for them to fall in love? For two people, whose experiences have led them to such a unique, but rare and lonely place, find love in one another? 

Not that I want to read into it, too much, even though it’s so hard not to… And I can’t really see them loving anyone else… but I’ve been thinking really hard about what it is that brings two people together like that. 

Did you love Luna like that, Noct? In what way did you love her? I always wanted to ask you that. I know you were engaged to marry, but I always kind of wondered what you thought about it. I know you had known each other for a long time…

Nevermind. For now. I’ll totally ask you if I see you again. Or in my next letter. 

Anyway, things are, as I said, weird right now. We’ll get through it. We always do. This time, I’m just glad it’s something like a super awkward date and not a decade of darkness... although looking at my brother’s mood lately… 

Oh, and send Prompto a sign. Something. Anything. Please. 

Love,   
Iris

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Dear Noctis-sama, 

I have been invited to take part in writing letters to you. I am happy to join in. The boys have decided to travel around, seeking out people you met along your journey. I expect you will be hearing from quite a few new voices soon. I am sad to see them go, but I think they know that this is their home. We are hoping to build an addition onto the house after they leave. Shhhh. It’s a surprise. I want them to have their own room. It won’t be big or fancy, but a place the three of them can call theirs. Talcott always enjoys coming home and taking sanctuary in his room. Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto are in their 30s now, but their lives have been filled with so much darkness. They need a bright spot to call “home” more than anybody. 

And don’t worry about us trying to do the construction on our own. We have met so many nice folks through our impromptu farmer’s market, and there are a lot of strong young people willing to help us out. We are building a community, and with a few homes springing up nearby, the atmosphere is really nice.

The kittens are doing quite well. They are healthy and growing up quickly. Talcott and Iris ended up naming them all, despite Iris’ endless requests for Gladio to name the black one. I hope some of our new neighbors will come by to adopt them. There are many new homes and lives to be filled with love from sweet kitties. 

I hope I have another chance to write you, but if not, let me thank you for all that you did for us. There are not adequate words to express our gratitude. 

Most sincerely,  
Monica

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Noct, 

I saw a few people stuffing quite a few pages into envelops for you this week. Doubt you need anything from me. I’m sure they covered it all. 

We’re getting back on the road tomorrow, not for some long-ass adventure or anything. Just around, I guess. Lots of work to be done. One of Dave’s (dog-tag guy) hunters came to the market the other day. Said Dave could use some help over at his outpost. Not really in the direction we were heading, but that mountain has some things going on and that researcher frog chick is over there doing something. The outpost by the mountain wasn’t much before the decade, and they need a bit of help working on it. Thinking I’ll head over there while the others take the Regalia up to Hammerhead. It’s making funny noises and stopping to fill it up constantly is tough. Some of the gas stations are up and going, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times we got down to fumes and the idea of pushing a damn monster truck sucks. 

It’d be cool if I could actually do it, but of course I shot my mouth off like an asshole saying I could. It’s too heavy. I tried when I was really really mad. It didn’t budge and I got madder and madder and still didn’t move. 

Anyway, I’m just going to leave the others a note and maybe trek off tonight. Need a few days to clear my head, ya know? Help with construction somewhere. Get some good sweat in. 

I don’t know what’ll happen if I write you when I’m not with the others. Guess I’ll see. Any maybe figure out who’s taking them. 

Later.  
Gladio

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Noct,

Gladio was gone this morning. Found a note from him that said “I’ll see you around,” and that was it. Ignis is mad. Iris is furious. I’m… well I don’t even know. 

We’re down to half the crew. If Ig even wants me around. I’m a mess. How old am I? Aren’t I supposed to like, what, have it all together or something by now???? Married, kids, house, life?   
Meeting people is hard. People welcome the help, and they’re nice and everything, but I think they’re still kind of suspicious. I mean, it’s only been a year since the sun came back up.   
I try. I try to meet people, but nothing really goes beyond friendly conversations or meaningless physical stuff. Once you try to get into those “deep” convos and whatever, things fall to pieces. I tried to just lie and make stuff up, or leave out major details, but it felt so cheap. 

Iggy says I just need time. I wanted and needed it so badly when you came back from the crystal. Now I have all the time in the world and you’re not here. 

There’s some saying like, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I knew what I had. Or at least I thought I did. 

I didn’t think I could like you any more than I did. But I guess I do. I found a whole new level of appreciation for you, buddy. 

I just keep rambling. Sorry if this is getting weird. I guess I just feel like I didn’t tell you these things enough while you were still alive.   
Even though it hurts like nothing I ever could have imagined, I don’t regret knowing you, even for a second. I never could.

Miss you, bro.   
Prompto

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Dear Noct, 

Gladio left. Just up and went, with no indication as to where he is going. What does he think he is doing? I know he left before after being defeated by Ravus, but it was obvious that he wanted to embark on some journey to get stronger. What reason does he have now?

I just wish he would talk to me. He has not been interested in conversation since Tony’s attempt to date me. Of course it was awkward for both of us, but surely it was not enough to send him away. Right?   
I am reading too much into this. I have to be. It is probably completely unrelated to Tony. My head has been a bit foggy lately. I have had headaches, flush in my cheeks, increased pulse. I may be getting sick. I get nervous when I am not in top shape. The group relies on me for so many things. With Gladio gone, any slips on my part will fall to Prompto to help. He does not need another thing on his plate right now. 

It is rare for me to come a bit undone. It is quite uncomfortable. 

Prompto and I are heading to Hammerhead to convert the Regalia back to a Type-F. While the monster truck tires have been entertaining, it is not always convenient. I am sure we will ask Cindy to convert the car back to the Type-D in the future, when we need to take a break and have a bit of fun.   
We will write from Hammerhead. 

Until then, take care.   
Ignis

 

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Prom,   
You are always enough, just as you are. 

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	5. Letters for Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letters continue. 
> 
> Ignis and Prompto are doing some research.   
> Ignis is worried about Gladio.   
> Cindy, Aranea, and Cor say hello.

Hi sweetie!

The boys rolled back into Hammerhead for me to take the monster tires off the Regalia. Ignis was so mad. Apparently, they ran out of gas about a mile down the road when Prompto was driving. They tried to push it but the darn thing wouldn’t budge. They showed up with little Prom all pouty, Ignis in a huff about how Gladio should’ve been there. We gathered a crew to see if we could push it. It was such slow going and people got frustrated really fast. Cid was cussing all kinds of things about responsibility, bringing up me and how I’d spent all that time making them a new car, and I swear, those boys just bowed their heads, listened, and gave him a deflated “Yes, sir.” 

We weren’t really sure what we were going to do about it, but an awfully pretty silvery blonde lady about fell out of the sky with a mech. Aranea, she said, and well, her soldiers and that mech got that car back to the garage no problem. She gave the boys such a hard time about it, too. 

Between Cid, Aranea, and I, the boys are staying in shape, so don’t you worry yourself about them. And I got the car back to an F-type. They shouldn’t be flinging themselves off any cliffs for a bit. Well, hopefully not. I guess we never really know with those guys. 

We’ll keep taking care of things so get yourself some rest. You deserve it. 

Much love from,  
Cindy

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NOCT. 

DID YOU WRITE ME? I FOUND A LETTER. UNSIGNED. NEXT TIME FUCKING SIGN THE LETTER SO I KNOW FOR SURE. IF MY LETTERS ARE GETTING TO YOU AND YOUR LETTER GOT TO ME, DOES THAT MEAN I COULD GET TO YOU? OR YOU COULD GET TO ME?

I’M TOTALLY FREAKING OUT, MAN. IF THERE’S A WAY, SOMEBODY – ANYBODY – POINT IT OUT FOR ME. I’LL DO ANYTHING. 

Okay I had to take a break. I could barely write. It’s been two days since I got your letter. That’s how long it took me to settle down and finish this. Iggy may or may not have slipped something into my dinner tonight. I feel so light and fluffy right now. 

I just can’t stop thinking about things, you know? Like, your letter got to me. It’s here. In my hands. Iggy is interested in this, too. He wants to go ask around a few places and see if we can dig up any leads. I mean, this hasn’t exactly happened before… Like getting rid of the Star Scourge isn’t like a yearly deal, so I doubt there isn’t much info out there. I don’t know. Maybe we can find something. Iggy is pretty smart. 

I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I just can’t help it. The idea of seeing you again. Of touching you. Of joking around and being idiots together. 

I’m blushing so hard right now. Must be whatever Iggy put in my food. Man, I’m such a dork. I’d better stop before I make too much of a fool of myself. Not that I don’t do that already. But, you know. 

Later, Noct.   
Prompto

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Dear Noct,

Gladio still has not returned to us. We have no idea where he is and we have not heard anything from him. It has been a few weeks since he disappeared. I do hope he is safe and achieving what it is he set out to achieve. 

Prompto and I have been trying to find some sort of lead as to your whereabouts, as well as the astrals and the Lucian line of kings. I had attempted to do this during your ten-year journey into the crystal, but it was difficult to secure any substantial resources: so much was destroyed and lost during the dark decade and people were not interested in sharing their stories. 

Information is scattered and scarce, but we are following every bit we can find to its end. As we were not with you in your final moments, we have no idea what you went through. If we can at least come to understand that, perhaps we will feel satisfied. There is so much we do not know about our journey, even though we were there and present every step of the way. So many events without any explanations. 

I have been particularly interested in Ardyn. We have been searching for evidence and mentions of him everywhere. I am most curious as to what he was doing for all of those years he was alive. Had his true motive been to destroy the Lucian line, he could have done so at any time. He could have pushed any king along the path to ultimately destroy him. What made it so that it had to be you? Surely, there was the prophecy, but that was only a very recent development in terms of his incredibly long life. 

There are many questions surrounding his abilities as well. While we do know that he had taken demons into his soul, it is difficult for me to believe that his powers were born from them. How did he create the illusion that Prompto was not Prompto on the train? What is this strange “stitch in time” that he claimed to have used? How did he seem to know our every step, our every move, even before we did?

I could probably write you a book of questions at this point, to all of which have very little answers. We will keep digging and trying as we wait for Gladio to return to us. 

He will return to us, right? 

Sincerely,  
Ignis

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King, 

Long time, no see.   
I ran into two of your boys in Hammerhead a few weeks and helped them with their stupid monster truck. And today, I swung by Insomnia and they happened to be there too. Last I had heard from them, they weren’t really interested in going back there for a while. They were digging around in the ruins of the palace library. Of course they got themselves into some trouble with walls collapsing and of course I had to swoop in and save their asses. 

Astrals, why do I always feel like a babysitter around your crew? And how many more times am I going to have to save their asses?

They said they were trying to do some research, which is actually a pretty good idea. I’ve been off doing some of my own, sifting through the chaos and despair that is Niflheim. Still crawling with demons, but I’m not sure what else you would expect from such a twisted mess of a place. We couldn’t find a single person alive. We stayed there a few weeks, but any decent human can only take so much. Tenebrae was in better shape. I think it helped that we were able to evacuate so many people before the dark decade. 

What happened to the big guy? Blondie and Specs didn’t really want to say much, but it seems like they got into some stupid catfight and your shield ran away like a wussy dumb-ass. For all of his big manly talk, he seemed to crumble awfully fast after some weird thing with Ignis. 

Your boyfriend misses you a fuck-ton. If you’re alive and off somewhere playing hooky, I’m going to kick your ass. I’ve put too much work into that boy to clean him up, and he’s bumbling all over the place thinking about you. It’s kind of sad, really. Don’t tell anyone, but I feel bad for him. 

But that’s the life we were given. Sucks it had to be us, but it was. We can’t change that. We did what we had to do to turn you into something respectable enough to save the world. And we did. And you did. 

Later, King. And remember, I’ll kill you if you’re fucking around with us.   
Aranea

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Noctis, 

Ignis and Prompto showed up in town a few days ago looking to access the palace records and libraries. We’ve spent most of our time building shelters and obtaining resources for those who have returned to the city and not much time on books. The boys have taken it upon themselves to rebuild, and one of their friends, a woman in a Niflheim ship, has been helping them out. Not sure what they’re looking for, but they seem pretty hell-bent on finding it. 

You did well, kid. The world is back on its feet again. It’s a slow process, of course. We’re not really sure how the government will function in Insomnia, or anywhere else for that matter. Right now, I’m in charge, just until we can figure out what else to do. We’re finally starting to get a bit organized and settled, but it’s going to take some time. 

Not sure how this letter thing works, but Prompto was bugging the hell out of me to write one. 

Rest well.   
Cor

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Noct, 

Aranea is scary. Like super scary. I mean, we’re friends now, but she’s scary. Iggy might even be intimidated by her, but he’d never admit it. He’s more concerned with Gladio and digging through all the rubble to try to find some books. He’s been pretty aggressive about it, and we’ve actually been able to recover some pretty cool stuff. 

I think Aranea’s scary because she’s so real. Everything I don’t want to hear but need to hear, she bluntly says to my face. Without any hesitation. And that’s what scary. She knows exactly what needs to be said and she doesn’t hold back at all. She yelled at me about being mopey and she yelled at Iggy for being stupid about Gladio. She yelled at both of us when we got in a bit of trouble with a wall collapsing. 

Hello, reality. 

It’s good. I think. Well, I’m pretty sure it is. I can miss you forever, but I guess I gotta kind of live my life. I mean, you gave it to me. And you gave me a beautiful, bright world to live in. I’d be a fool if I spent any more time moping around. 

Trust me, I still miss you and want to be with you. That will never change. But I’ve been neglecting your final request. I’ve been walking pretty damn small. My heart and head are down. It’s time I straighten up a bit. 

Keep cheering for me. Love ya, man.   
Prompto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still really uncertain about my writing. I hope this is still enjoyable for those who are reading it. It's been enjoyable for me to write.   
> Thank you for your comments and kudos.


	6. Letters from the Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Navyth. Ignis. Iris. Prompto. 
> 
> Insomnia will celebrate its rebirth in six months, and the crew thinks up a neat way to commemorate their fallen friend. 
> 
> Ignis gets a midnight visitor. 
> 
> Prompto snuggles with chocobo.

Hello Noct Gar!

Here’s a lure. Something new I’ve been using to get the fish to start biting again. Now that the sun’s up, I was really hoping I’d run into you at one of the docks and I could give it you myself. From the stories your friends told me, it looks like I won’t be able to. 

Never thought a scrawny, fish-loving guy like you could be some king and save the world. Thanks for fishing with me, kid. Wish this world could have given you a bit more time to do some normal stuff. You looked so happy whenever you and your friends were around. 

Hope you got yourself a nice rod and the fish are biting really well up in those clouds. Catch some big ones and put them in the sky where I can see them. Want to make sure you’re keeping your skills up. 

Happy fishing. And thanks.   
Navyth

*  
*  
*

Dear Noct, 

We ran into your old fishing friend. A very kind fellow and still very dedicated to his art. He asked about you. We hated to tell him the truth, but we thought he deserved to hear it. He wanted to write you a letter, and of course, he stuck a lure in the envelope, too. We were not sure it would disappear, but it did. 

He made an interesting suggestion to “get a bunch of letters.” He told us to go around to all the places we visited before you went into the crystal and have everyone we met write you a letter. He said that he “figures the mailman will get annoyed with all the mail and toss you back into the lake.” Something related to what you do when your bucket gets too full.

We all enjoyed the image: annoyed astrals or terribly frustrating Lucian kings or whatever has you now so overwhelmed by letters and wishes of people to see you again, they toss you out and back to us. 

You have always known me as a bit of a…. Prompto is making me write “slave” to logic, but the curious side of me wants to see our messenger tackle a bag of mail or a few bags of mail or a truckload. What do you think the threshold is? 

Perhaps I enjoyed the laugh with Navyth too much and I am now a pile of nonsense. It felt so good to laugh and look out into the lake. The three of us waited on you for hours, days even, in all types of weather so that you could fish. You loved it so much. I wish the three of us would have fished with you, at least once, somewhere along our journey.

As you know, we all tried to catch a fish for Monica to make into cat food, and well, we all agreed never to speak of it again. Perhaps we should try again. 

Gladio has still not returned. It has been a long time since Caem. Months. Has it already been half a year? I do not know. Our time has been spent traveling and learning. I lose track of the days. I find myself thinking about the next day and what I hope it will bring. In hindsight, I have wished away so much time. I miss him. 

Prompto has his head up again. He is trying very hard to live his life fully. He is smiling again. I need to do the same. 

Take care,   
Ignis

*  
*  
*

Dear Noctis, 

The boys returned to Caem today with HUGE bags of letters!! Hundreds and hundreds!! It seems like they’ve visited a lot of people you guys ran into during your journey. People remembered you and the quests that you carried out for them! Ignis said they were so sad to hear that you had passed, and doubly emotional and surprised when they told them you were the king who sacrificed everything for them. 

And once people heard that they were collecting letters for the person who brought back the light, all kinds of people wanted to write to show their thanks! Even people who didn’t have the chance to meet you are writing. Prompto said a lot of people wrote with pleas to get you back, too! It’s a sweet thought: a sad one, but it’s sweet. 

Word is spreading and a lot of people want to write to and keep writing to you. I think it’s put a bit of hope in them. And we found something to do with all of the letters!

In six months, Insomnia is going to have a festival to celebrate its rebirth and reconstruction. They’re going to officially declare their new government system and rename the city. How do you feel about changing the name? A lot of people weren’t sure, but the more we looked at the wreckage, the more we remembered the devastation, we realized that the city had fallen asleep forever and it wasn’t waking up again. Insomnia is gone, but something new is rising from its ashes. Something hopeful. Something shining.

Anyway, there is going to be a monument for all of the letters. People can write to you and drop them off there from now until the festival. There will be a special little thing dedicated to you. I think Cor might say something. Not sure about Ignis or Prompto. 

And Gladio, well, he’s just a big asshole, isn’t he?!. I can’t believe he’s been gone this long. How could he have just left them like that? I know he’s hurting and I know he’s got his ways to cope… but what is he doing?? Ignis and Prompto need him. And I need him, too. I could just punch him right now.

Tell him to come home, Noct. Tell him to come back. 

I’m looking forward to the new city and to celebrating you. Take care. 

Love from,  
Iris

*  
*  
*

Noct! Hey!

Guess what I’ve been doing lately? I’ve been staying at Wiz’s! I’m helping with the chocobo! A lot of them survived! And there are babies! And another black chocobo. Ignis is here with me, of course, and we’re staying in a camper on the property. Wiz even has the chocobo race track up and running again. Sometimes, I get to work the window and set up the courses! And to nobody’s surprise, I race, too. A lot. 

A lot of people have come to enjoy the chocobo and that makes me happy, too. It’s kind of like a therapy pet thing. Animals are awesome. 

I somehow convinced Aranea to race me and I BEAT HER. She’s so mad. She’s been coming back once a week to race again. I’ve never been so proud and terrified at the same time. It’s okay though. Well I think it’s okay. I hope it’s okay? Oh crap, now I’m nervous. Maybe I should let her win next time… Ha ha ha. That was a nervous laugh. 

Anyway, so Ignis and I took a day’s trip to an apothecary get some supplies for Wiz. Of course we took chocobo, so it took a little bit longer than expected and left us out super later tonight. Wiz left us some food in the camper and we sat in the chairs outside and ate it. It’s a beautiful night. The stars are incredible. 

Ignis has been really patient with me and super caring, but tonight, he looked like he needed some alone time. I told him I’d go check on the chocobo and write you a letter. So I’m sitting over here under a light and next to a few sleeping chocobabies writing to you. I can still see the camper though, and Ignis is still sitting there. It’s weird but I don’t want to let him out of my sight. It’s not that I’m worried about his eyes – he can totally take care of himself and is way more badass than I’ll ever be – but I’m just paranoid he’ll disappear, too. 

I mean, Gladio is still… shit. Omg. I see him. He’s at the camper. He just walked right up there. I hear him talking. Should I commentate? I’m going to commentate. So you can pretend you were with me. 

They’re talking. I can’t really tell what they’re saying, but Ignis looks terrifying. Arm flailing. Lots of arm flailing. Angry arms. I’m a terrible commentator.  
Voices are getting louder. I’m creeping closer. They’re yelling at each other. They’re mad. Gladio is hovering over Ignis and whisper yelling. Ignis stood up. Uh oh. He is not going to take that.   
Ignis is whisper yelling. He’s grabbing at his hair. HOW DOES HE LOOK EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE WITH MESSY HAIR I JUST DON’T

Gladio is yelling again. Telling Ignis he’s not listening to him. Ignis looks pissed. Arms thrown into the air. Wtf is Gladio talking about. 

Both yelling. Lots of arm flailing and hands grabbing angrily in the air. Gladio just pushed Ignis back against the camper. Should I interfere? I mean  
OH.   
SHIT.   
NOCT. Gladio he just like omg he just grabbed Ignis’ head and just  
WOW. Ignis IS GOING WITH IT.   
OMG NOCT. THEY’RE  
KISSING. KISSING. REAL KISSING. LIKE MAKING OUT. LIKE IN EACH OTHER’S ARM. AGAINST THE CAMPER. I SHOULD LOOK AWAY. BUT I CAN’T.  
HAS THIS BEEN A THING. IS THIS A NEW THING. IS THIS. WHAT IS THIS.  
NOCT. HELP ___________________________----

Sorry for the weird pen mark. I thought a wolf was going to eat me. But it was totally Umbra, dude! Like what is with these dogs??? Are they magical?? He’s gotta be like a billon years old.

He totally just appeared and lied down next to me and we are hanging out with some chocobo babies on the other side of the farm. I moved. They went into the camper.

And yeah. Well. Guess I’m snuggling with some animals tonight. 

BUT DUDE. Looking back over my letter, I REALLY hope you can read the messy writing.

So like, yay for them, but I guess I didn’t really expect it to happen like that. Now that I’ve been sitting here a bit, I’m not that surprised???? Those two just kind of get each other and they have for a long time. I can’t really imagine anyone else for them, to be honest. I mean, who else could possibly understand what they’ve been through?

I can’t wait to give them shit in the morning. This may be the first and only time I’ll ever be able to embarrass them. I’ll try my best.

I will absolutely tell you how it goes, no details left out. 

Take care, buddy. Wish me luck.   
Prompto

 

*  
*  
*

Prompto, 

Holy shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for takings so long to update. I just couldn't get any words to flow. 
> 
> The end of this story is written and the rest of it is planned out. Now I just need to work on it!
> 
> Thank you so much for your comments and views. I greatly appreciate the support and hope that I will not let you down.


	7. Letters for Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did it. I decided to post the last installment of this mini-letter fic. I've had it written for some time now, but I had lost all confidence in my writing. I hope you are not disappointed. 
> 
> Thank you for your time. I really appreciate every moment you spent engaged with my work.

To whom it may concern: maybe Mr. Bahamut, other astrals, the Lucian Kings, anyone else. I’m not sure. My mom told me to write the intro like this. 

My name is Apollo Thearios. I am ten years old, and I came to Insomnia two years ago with my mom when the sun came up. My whole life was in darkness, and my dad died there. It’s hard for me because it affected my skin, my eyes, and the rest of my body. A lot of children are like me. The light really hurts our bodies, even after seeing it for two years now. Maybe it’ll get better someday. 

I’m writing a letter for the ceremony. I wrote one for Mr. Noctis, too, but I really needed to write you one. You guys did some bad things and I’m going to yell at you. Even if I’m just ten. I know stuff. 

I don’t like you. Any of you. You really messed up. A lot of people died because of you. And I mean A LOT. Not just Mr. Noctis and Miss Luna, but a lot of other people, too. 

Bad stuff was in the world because of the Starscourge. That was your fault because you were mean to Ifrit and Eos. You were mean to Mr. Ardyn, too. They were all hurt for being different and for following their hearts. That’s not right. 

My mom told me you made a prophecy about Mr. Noctis and that’s why he died. The Starscourge was around way before Mr. Noctis was alive. You could have done something earlier about that. Why did you wait so long? 

Lots of people died in Insomnia. One guy tried to save it with all these big statue things, but he died to use that power. I just don’t get it. Bad people who tried to use your power get hurt but live. Good people who use your power to save people have to die. 

That doesn’t make sense. Don’t take the good person. We need all the good people we can get. If you keep taking them, nobody will be left to fight the bad guys. 

All the people in Niflheim were killed to make soldiers. So many people died during the dark decade. AND a lot of people fought and killed each other over control after the sun came up. You should probably include something in the next prophecy about that. Mr. Noctis gave his life for the sun to come up and more people to die. Good job, guys. (That was sarcastic.)

Why did all of that have to happen? (That is a serious question, not sarcastic.)

What do you guys even do? Do you do anything good for the world? It looks like you just break stuff. You’re all just big mean monsters who can do whatever they want because they’re strong. 

Well, we’re making a new and happy world and there are no places for mean monsters and their stupid prophecies. I don’t want any more things to get destroyed, especially not people’s lives. So you can just leave us alone now.

My mom said that Mr. Noctis had to die because he was the king, and kings needed to sacrifice stuff for their people. Well, he did. He sacrificed his life as a king and his entire family line.

But what about his life as a regular person? Most of the people know him as a person and not a king because he did so many things to help others while he was alive. There are a lot of people here for the ceremony who keep talking about how he helped them farm, fish, transport ingredients, help feed cats, take pictures, find frogs, and some guy even said he helped him get his balloons back after they flew away during a festival. 

I think you took two lives: a king’s and a helper’s. And that’s wrong. For your stupid system, you only needed one of those lives to beat the Starscourge. Give the other one back. 

My mom always says, “Flowers don’t get to choose where they bloom,” whenever I complain about life not being fair. Mr. Noctis didn’t get to choose where he was born either, but he tried really hard to be a good person and a good king. And you took both of those lives from him. You shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong to you. Take the king life. We don’t need that. That second life, though, belongs to US. All the people he helped and all the people who cared about him. Give it back.

I hope a lot of people write you angry letters tonight. I’ll be mad at you forever!

Sincerely,  
Apollo

******************************************************************************************************************************************

To whom it may concern:

My name is Apollo Thearios, the current Prime Minister of Lucence, and it has been exactly thirty years today since I angrily wrote you a letter about all of the wrongs I was convinced you had committed. To be perfectly honest, I still deeply question many things about you; however, it has become impossible for me to condemn you completely, especially now that the stress of my position often has me begging higher powers for relief. 

It snowed the night of the inauguration ceremony for Lucence, despite it being the middle of the summer. I remember everyone, silent and in awe, gazing up towards the skies at the softly falling snow. A few inches accumulated over night and were still soft and untouched into the morning. 

I had been awake, lying in bed thinking about what you might say back to me, should you return my letter. I’ll admit, I was worried a bit, considering I had raged at heavenly beings. I spent most of the night staring out the window next to my bed at the snow. I hadn’t seen it before and it was quite beautiful. I was lucky to live towards the edge of the town. I could see out into the distance and dream about what adventures were out there waiting to be undertaken, and I could see into the city, where new buildings and lives were being put together in hopes of a brighter, peaceful future. 

That night, while the rest of the city slept huddled away from the cold, a single dark-colored car was making its way out of town. It stopped at the very edge of the city, and its four passengers got out for a moment. They seemed to be looking towards the citadel. They soon got back into the car and left. I have wondered if this memory is instead a dream. I was but a child, and a very sleep-deprived, anxious, and angry one at that, and the details aren’t quite as clear as I’d like them to be.

The next day, three members of the acting government were declared “missing.” They were never found. 

A letter has arrived for me every year on this day with only one sentence and single photograph inside. The sentence is the same every year, as are the people in the photograph, just a bit older as time has goes on. It is always a nice picture. They are smiling and appear to be genuinely happy. 

Existence is such an odd thing. Friendship and love are as well. Strength, desire, and trust. Hate, envy, and pride. The human experience often has me boggled, even though I have been one for forty years now. Understanding life never seems to get easier, only more and more difficult and more and more complicated. 

I have come to understand, however, that there are many things we cannot explain. Among these inexplicable things are those that we wish we could unravel and those we know we shouldn’t. 

There are so many forces out of our control and so very little of the universe in which we can actually have our say. If we stumble upon even the tiniest sliver of the world that may allow for our human impact, we must act. 

Even if you are a simple-minded, angry ten-year-old armed with only a pencil and paper. 

May the people of Lucence and the rest of the world continue to revel in light and find ways to improve and strengthen the peace that we have achieved. 

And may the four men in these photos continue to smile together, wherever and whoever they may be. 

Allow me to leave you with the same words they leave me every year:

Thank you.

Apollo Thearios  
Prime Minister of Lucence


End file.
